QUEENS PARK—Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson called on the Ontario government to review the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Following the death of a miner at Lakeshore Gold in Timmins last week, Bisson said we need to make sure work places are safe.
“We have an Occupational Health and Safety Act that was created some 30 years ago, and you know that the Steelworkers have asked for a review of that act so that we can take a look at what the coroners’ inquests have done in recent deaths, look at the trends to see what changes we can make to the Occupational Health and Safety Act so that we can make our workplaces safer.”
Bisson also said one injury or fatality is one too many.
“What we’re saying is that, over the last 30 years, there’s a body of knowledge that has been created by coroners’ inquests that have investigated the deaths in mining in Ontario. What we’re asking and what the Steelworkers and the families are asking for is that we look at that body of information so that we can take a look at how we can improve the Occupational Health and Safety Act so that workers going to work tomorrow will know that it is a safer place.”
He wants the government to commit to launching a review so the work can begin right away.
Trevor King was fatally injured after being struck by a piece of rock while loading a development round on the 730m level at the Timmins mine last Monday.